History of development of radiation protection

This paper contains three sections. The first presents the history of radiation protection recommendations and the evolution of the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The current ICRP recommendations, their rationale and consequences are discussed including risk assessment, effective dose equivalent, dose limits, non-stochastic and stochastic effects, and annual limits of intake. The second section deals with accidents and emergencies and covers the ICRP's principles for planning intervention in the event of an accident, the emergency reference levels of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and of the UK National Radiological Protection Board and the US Food and Drug Administration's recommendations on the control of contaminated foodstuffs and the use of potassium iodide. Tables present the ICRP's dose-equivalent levels for early and intermediate phase countermeasures. The third section gives the methods which have been used to derive numerical values of annual limits of intake, derived air concentrations and derived limits for surface concentrations. Specific radionuclides including cobalt-60 uranium and krypton 85 are used to illustrate the ICRP's methods and assumptions. 27 refs., 4 tabs